Comfort, identity and fashion in the post-socialist city: Materialities, assemblages and context

Abstract

This paper works at the intersection of three bodies of writing; theories relating to fashion, identity and the city; debate relating to urban materialities, assemblages and context; and cultural interventions advancing the study of post-socialism. Drawing on empirical research undertaken in Bratislava, Slovakia, we unpack a blurring of public and private space expressed through clothing. In contrast to elsewhere in the city, in Petržalk, a high-rise housing estate from the socialist period, widely depicted as anonymous and hostile since 1989, residents are renowned for wearing 'comfortable' clothes in order to 'feel at home' in public space. We describe the relationship between fashion, identity and comfort as an everyday 'political' response to state socialism and later the emergence of consumer capitalism. We argue however, that by considering materialities, assemblages and context that studies of fashion and consumer culture can offer more complex political, economic, social, cultural and spatial analysis. To that end, we show how personal and collective consumption bound up with comfort and city life can be understood with reference to changing temporal and spatial imaginaries and experiences of claiming a material 'right to the city'.

Embodying Chinese urbanism: towards a research agenda

“…Despite such discourses, Miles () suggests older people are beginning to embrace consumption opportunities and urban dance is an example of individuality and collectivism underpinning a new ‘sense of freedom’. This resonates with Jayne and Ferenčuhová's () research in a (post)socialist Slovakia housing estate, where wearing of ‘comfortable’ clothing – tracksuits, nightwear and other garments usually associated with domestic spaces – by diverse social groups in public spaces is popular. Life in state‐planned modernist housing led to wearing comfortable clothing in public spaces in order to make them more ‘homely’ and which Jayne and Ferenčuhová () consider an everyday political response to state socialism and later the emergence of consumer capitalism.…”

Make, mend and befriend: geographies of austerity, crafting and friendship in contemporary cultures of dressmaking in the UK

“…Hinton and Redclift (2009, 12), however, make a convincing case against conjoining issues of austerity and sustainability, pointing out that 'wartime austerity was the platform on which unsustainable consumption was built in the last quarter of the century'. Thus, contemporary dressmaking may also be considered for its sensory qualities; making dresses that fit better, are more comfortable and are produced and consumed with specific material, emotional and embodied practices and experiences in mind (Colls 2004;Jayne and Ferenčuhová 2013). This is not to say that ethics of austerity are not compatible with other ethics of consumption, indeed there may be some overlap.…”

Public health, physical exercise and non-representational theory – a mixed method study of recreational running in Sofia, Bulgaria

“…Post-socialist urbanism is often characterised by the neglect and privatisation of public space, declining civic attitudes and a rampant sense of individualism (Holleran, 2014). Only limited attention has been paid to the everyday experiences of post-socialist urban citizens (Jayne & Ferenčuhová, 2014).…”